SA should consider closing science councils that don’t deliver
The role of public research institutions like science councils in national innovation systems has been diminishing in most developed countries.
Author The Conversation
Data science is a growing field – here’s how to train people to do it
Data science is experiencing significant growth. It is imperative that universities train graduates who can work in this expanding field.
How Facebook went from friend to frenemy
As Facebook celebrates 15 years of virtual friendship this week, social science has compiled an expansive body of research that documents the public’s love-hate relationship with its best frenemy.
IBM launches commercial quantum computing – we’re not ready for what comes next
As IBM launches its first commercial quantum computer, the technology may well prove to be the most disruptive to happen so far in the information age.
5G: a solution in search of a problem?
Never in the history of the mobile phone has there been so much hype about a new technology ahead of its launch than there is with 5G.
Why paper maps still matter in the digital age
With the proliferation of smartphones, it’s easy to assume that the era of the paper map is over. That assumption is wrong.
VO₂max: the gold standard for measuring fitness explained
If you could pick one measure to evaluate your health, what would you pick? Blood pressure? Cholesterol? There is something that is more informative: maximal aerobic capacity, otherwise known as VO₂max.
TikTok: the insanely popular social network you’ve (probably) never heard of
TikTok has become one of the most downloaded mobile apps for Apple and Android devices, unseating the likes of YouTube, Instagram and Snapchat.
The incredible science behind China’s moon landing
China has set the Chang’e 4 lander and rover down on the far side of the moon using a downward-looking camera and hazard avoidance software as it slowed its descent using retrorockets.
Sorry Elon, colonising Mars is unlikely – and a bad idea
Let’s not spoil one of the largest and most fundamental experiments for humankind by letting dreams of colonisation go too far